The Effect of Three Status Characteristics on Ratings of an Elderly Male and an Elderly Female: Social Variables

The purpose of this study was to determine whether three status characteristics—age, gender, and fashionability—affect impressions of elderly persons. Subjects represented three age statuses: young adults (18–34 years), middle-aged adults (35–59 years), and elderly adults (60+ years). Each subject saw one of four photographs, either a 75-year-old male or a 70-year-old female in either fashionable or unfashionable clothing, and gave their first impressions of social class, economic status, sociability, and health. Subjects also drew a stick figure depicting how close they would stand to the person as a measure of social distance. Data were analyzed using MANOVA, ANOVA, and the Student-Newman-Keuls test. The independent variables (gender of stimulus person, age status of subjects, and fashionability of clothing) yielded significant effects on ratings of social class, economic status, social distance, sociability, and health. Results are explained in terms of status characteristics theory.